


Finding a Family

by HopefullyPessimistic



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Jasper lives, M/M, Max is a child and if I decide to pair him up with someone it will be someone his own age, Multi, Other characters will appear but those are the main three, The relationship between Max and David and Jasper is platonic, this is not a shipping fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-09-20 16:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9500063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopefullyPessimistic/pseuds/HopefullyPessimistic
Summary: This is an au in which Jasper never dies and instead lives happily with David. Max has been staying with them for a few months after David and Jasper decide to foster him. These oneshots will be at different points in their lives as the three of them find out what it means to be a real family.





	1. Here to Stay

**Author's Note:**

> 90′s Jasper belongs sinsisterspooks and feveraven on Tumblr. I’m just borrowing him…I’ll give him back eventually

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max discovers his true place in this odd little family.

It comes up after a fight. The first real fight the three of them have. Oh sure they’ve fought before, but it’s been mostly little things like Max tracking mud in the house or not finishing his homework. Just little things where they scold him and he calls them assholes, nothing major. However, this fight is different because Jasper is actually mad and David is yelling, truly yelling. At one point Max waves his arms as he shouts back at them and his right hand accidentally hits a vase that David really loves and knocks it down, shattering it. The whole room goes silent as they take in what happened.

Max opens his mouth to say something, apologize maybe, but Jasper cuts him off before he can start and tells him, teeth gritted as he attempts to remain calm, to go to his room. So he storms away and slams the door and maybe his eyes are damp, but he’s not crying okay? He’s not. And maybe he starts thinking that this is it. That they’re finally going to realize that he’s a complete fuck up and that its not worth keeping him around anymore. But it’s fine because he knew this wasn’t ever going to be permanent. He’s _fine_ ,okay? Max starts packing because hey, might as well make it quick. So that when it’s time for him to leave to wherever he’s being sent they don’t have to wait around for him to grab his things.

And that’s where they find him twenty minutes later when they go to go check on him, both having taken the time to calm down and sweep up the broken glass from the vase. Max, on his knees, pulling dirty clothes out from under his bed, an open suitcase beside him. And now they’re worried that _Max_ wants to leave so they quietly enter the room and ask if he’s okay. Max just refuses to look up because if he does that he’ll do something stupid, like ask to stay, and he can’t. Can’t let them know how much he cares because he has to leave now. He knows he does, knows he’s messed up everything and there’s nothing he can do about it. So he swallows the lump in his throat and says, “I’m fine, don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

Now David and Jasper are completely confused and tell Max as much, wanting to know what exactly was going on in their child’s head. And Max is just clinging to that _stupid_ pajama shirt Jasper bought him and twisting it in his hands. “I fucked up and now you don’t want me anymore…it’s okay, I-I’m fine so don’t feel guilty or whatever when you call to give me back.” And if his breath hitches as he speaks, that’s nothing, he’s fine. He has to be.

And David knows Max has a thing about personal space, but he’s never been too great at keeping his hands to himself anyway and he’s not about to start now when his child thinks they don’t want him. So he rushes over and wraps his arms around Max, Jasper close behind, and the two of them just hold Max tight.

Max tries to fight them off for a few moments before giving in and clinging to them, doing his best to hide his tears, muffling his cries against the fabric of Jasper’s neon pink shirt. The two of them patiently wait for him to settle, Jasper rocking him gently as David hums a melody that Max can’t place, but is soothing just the same. It’s only when he’s finally done crying that David speaks up.

“Max,” he begins in a quiet tone of voice Max had been unaware he could pull off, “How could you possibly think we wouldn’t want you anymore? We love you, you’re our son…We–”

“We want to adopt you!” Jasper blurts out, apparently unable to be silent any longer. Max’s eyes widen and his head shoots up to look at them in disbelief. “You…what?”

David turns to Jasper, pouting. “We said we were going to wait until his birthday to ask!” he points out, somewhat annoyed that their original plan had fallen through. “We had a speech planned and everything.”

Jasper has the decency to look sheepish. “I know, I’m sorry, but…come on Davey, it was the perfect opportunity!” Max decides to cut them off now before they lose track of what they were talking about. It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened. The two could be rather scatter-brained.

He snaps his fingers to get their attention, his stern glare muddled by how red his eyes are. They immediately settle down, their full attention on Max. He was sure he looked pathetic, his eyes puffy from crying and his nose dripping with snot. But David and Jasper didn’t seem fazed at all by the fact that their shirts were wet and that their knees were digging into the carpet by the position they were in to keep holding him. They just seemed concerned for him. Max doesn’t understand it. Understand them. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to speak. “Now, what the hell are you two talking about?” Because he has to be mistaken right? They don’t actually mean they want to…

“We want to adopt you, Max.” David begins to explain, just this once ignoring Max’s language. It wasn’t important right now. “We already have the paperwork we just need to sign it.”

“We love you, kiddo. That’s never going to change.” Jasper chips in, running his fingers through Max’s hair in a way that shouldn’t be as soothing as it feels. “We’re already a family, we just want to make it official…if that’s what you want as well. It’s your decision too, but no matter what you choose, this is your home. You will _always_ have a place here with us.”

Max swallows, trying to figure out what to say. He had been preparing himself mentally for months for the day when he would finally be told he had go and now he finds out he never has to. That no matter how much he pissed them off or got into trouble he could still stay with them. What was he supposed to say to that?

“…That was really gay.” Nailed it.  
Jasper lets out a laugh while David shakes his head at them both and Max feels the knot that had been growing in his stomach since the day David brought him to his home–to their home–finally begin to dissipate. He isn’t going anywhere. At least not without David and Jasper–not without his dads–going with him.

“So whose last name am I suppose to be taking?”


	2. A Sense of Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max has nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one isn't very long but hopefully you guy's will still like it.

The same nightmare has been plaguing him for weeks. Every time he falls asleep he dreams of David and Jasper, disgust clear on their faces, looking down at him with contempt. “What were we thinking?”  
They ask in unison, their tone both distorted and loathing and just plain _wrong_ , “Bringing _that_ into our home...Oh well, it’s high time we get rid of him.”  
David grabs him then, hands that were only ever gentle with him suddenly rough and bruising, dragging him to their car and shoving him into the backseat. No matter how much he begs, how much he pleads to stay, promising to do better--be better--he still ends up alone. The two of them leave him stranded miles away and warn him to never come back. The dream continues as it always does, he walks and walks until it’s almost too dark to see before he finally finds an old, abandoned park. Max wanders over to a busted up park bench covered in graffiti and lays down, shivering as he closes his eyes and curls up for warmth... 

He wakes up in a cold-sweat, his heart pounding against his rib-cage. It takes him a minute to realize where he is and once he does Max has to choke back a sob. He’s home. Still safe, still wanted, still loved. The realization that he’s home in bed and not freezing on that old park bench relaxes Max a little, but he still can’t stop the whimper that escapes his throat. He’s tired, so very, very tired. He can’t handle it anymore. Every time he closes his eyes the nightmare replays over and over in his head. It’s gotten to the point where Max dreads going to bed at night. All he wants to do is be able to sleep.

Maybe it’s because he’s too exhausted to think straight. Maybe it’s because his nerves are shot. Maybe it’s because he knows deep down that he needs help. Whatever the reason may be, Max finds himself climbing out of bed and padding over to his parents’ room. He pauses right outside their door, second guessing himself. Would they be annoyed he woke them up? Max has school in the morning, would they be upset he’s not in bed? He felt like a baby for even considering doing this, but...Max glances back down the hallway towards his darkened room and takes a deep breath before slowly reaching up and knocking on the door in front of him. He doesn’t want to be alone right now.

There’s a brief silence after Max knocks, and right as he’s considering whether or not he should knock again, he hears David’s voice. “Max, is that you? Come on in bud.”  
Max fidgets for a moment before opening the door and stepping inside. David is sitting up, a book in his hand, looking at Max with a hint of concern that only grows as he sees the tear tracks on his son’s face. “What’s wrong?”  
He asks, somewhat alarmed, as he half haphazardly shoves the book he had been reading onto the nightstand, sitting up straighter as if it would make him hear Max better.

Jasper, who up until that point had been asleep, wakes up when he hears the worry in his fiance’s voice. Jasper sits up in a panic, relaxing only slightly when he realizes what’s going on. He rubs at his eyes with one hand and beckons Max over with the other. “What’s the matter kiddo? Bad dream?”  
He guesses correctly, trying unsuccessfully to hold back a yawn when he sees how nervous his son is. Max hates asking for help, too used to having to do everything on his own that when he can’t, he feels ashamed. Jasper and David figured this out pretty soon after Max started living with them, so whenever Max _does_ come to them for something they make sure he knows they’re more than willing to help if they can, and be there to listen if that’s all they can do.

Max nods in response to Jasper’s question before looking down at the carpet and fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I know it’s stupid and you guys are trying to sleep, but...”  
He pauses for a second, mustering up the courage to ask them what he needs to. He knows, logically, that they won’t be annoyed for asking, but he’s emotionally raw and not thinking quite right.  
“Can I...Can I stay in here tonight?”

The two don’t hesitate for a second, Jasper scooting over to make room while David pulls the covers back so Max can climb in. “Of course you can, Max. Come on up, it’ll be like a sleep over!”  
David reassures in a cheerful tone, moving his legs out of the way as Max crawls past him to lay in between the two of them.

Max snorts at David’s enthusiasm, but can’t deny the wave of relief that flows through him at the reassurance that they weren’t upset with him barging in. It takes a few minutes for everyone to get settled, but when they do Max finds himself pressed up against both of his dads, the two of them each facing towards their son. Jasper, while still seeming half asleep, runs his fingers through Max’s hair in that soothing way he knows comforts Max. 

Max is more than aware that any other time, with any other people, sharing a space this small would just be annoying and cramped. But as David moves to rest an arm around him, linking hands with Jasper’s free one, the weight isn’t confining to him and the lack of space isn’t smothering. In fact there’s only one word that comes to mind as he begins to drift off into sleep. _Safe. ___

He doesn’t have anymore nightmares that night.


	3. Beginnings (David's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about how Max first started living with David and Jasper

The last day of summer was always sort of bittersweet to David. On one hand, it meant that camp was over and he had to say goodbye to kids he might not ever get to see again and leave the place that has always instilled a sense of wonderment and joy to him. On the other hand though, leaving Camp Campbell meant returning home to Jasper and it was impossible to be disappointed with that. 

Even the campers seemed disappointed to go–though Max pointed out that it was because school would be starting up soon and no one wanted that–everyone dragging their feet as they walked in and out of their tents to make sure they had everything packed. 

David, though upset that summer was over, did his best to keep up his normal upbeat attitude as he helped everyone gather up their things and made sure nothing got left behind. Soon enough, the Quarter Master arrived with the bus to pick up the kids. 

Before any of the kids could enter the bus, however, David moved in front of the doorway and cleared his throat. “Well guys, I guess this is it. I know you all must be eager to get home and see your families so I’ll make this quick.”  
David pointedly ignored Max’s muttered “That’s a first,” to Nikki and Neil, and the trio’s snickering after.

“I just wanted to say what an honor it’s been to be your counselor this year and how happy I am to have gotten to know all of you. I hope I’ll see all of you again next year!”

Gwen took over after David’s little speech and started to help everyone onto the bus. Once everyone was loaded and David triple checked nobody had forgotten anything, she spoke up. “Remember, we’ll be driving right behind you to the drop-off zone, so don’t even think about making a break for it when QM parks.” She warned, before stepping off the bus. David grinned at his soon-to-be ex-campers and waved as he too left to go start his car.

David took a moment to say a quiet goodbye to the camp, promising to be back next year, and sent Jasper a quick update text before pulling out of the driveway and leaving Camp Campbell once again.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was about a half-hour drive to get to the bus-stop where the parents would be picking up their kids. David arrived before Gwen, but only by about a minute, and the two of them made quick work of helping the kids off the bus and making sure they had the right suitcases.

The first of the parents arrived five minutes after the bus had pulled up, and in no time at all most of the campers had been picked up. Within an hour only Max was left. David assured him that his parents were probably just running late, and for once Max didn’t reply. As one hour turned to two and then to three, David told Gwen she could go home and that he would make sure Max got home safe. Gwen, exhausted by the day’s events, agreed and let David pull her into a hug before ruffling Max’s hair and getting in her car.

David watched as she drove off before walking over to his luggage and unzipping a side compartment. He dug through a series of files before pulling one out and calling the number listed at the top. He chewed on his lip in thought as he waited for someone to pick up the phone.

_“We’re sorry, but the number you have reached is no longer in service.”_

David froze. That…that couldn’t be right. He must have dialed wrong, he reasoned. Three tries later, David turned to Max, desperately trying to mask his concern. “Max…do you know if your parents have another phone number to reach them at?”

Max frowned at the question. “No…why?” It took David a second to hide the panicked look in his eyes and that was all the time Max needed to figure out something was wrong. David opened his mouth to tell Max everything was fine, but before he could the younger reached up and snatched the phone from David’s hand, quickly dialing the number from memory.

_“We’re sorry, but the number you have reached is no longer in service.”_

David watched with baited breath as Max simply hung up the phone and handed it back to him. The boy took a deep, rattled breath and clenched his hands into fists. “It finally happened then. Took them long enough.” Max wasn’t staring at him, wasn’t staring at anything really, just ducked his head so he was facing the ground. “I thought they’d pussy out again like last year.”

David swallowed the bile that was rising up in his throat. Max couldn’t mean…  
“W-What are you talking about, Max?” He asked quietly, praying he was wrong. Max just shook his head. “Go home David. Nobody’s coming.”

That settled it then. Whether or not it was true, Max believed he had been abandoned. David would be damned if he was going to just sit here and hope someone showed up. He sent another text to Jasper, informing him of the situation, and slid the phone into his pocket before turning to Max. “Come on, Max. I’m gonna take care of this.”

Max, apparently still in shock, quietly followed David to his car and got in the backseat. It wasn’t until they arrived at the their destination did Max even consider where David was taking him. David waited for Max to get out of the car before leading him inside the police station.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Once inside, David led Max to a free chair and waited for him to sit down before walking up to the front desk. He quietly explained the situation to the police officer who frowned. “Why don’t you just drive over to his house and see if they’re home? You have to wait at least twenty-four hours before filing a missing persons’ report.”  
David shook his head. “Because if they aren’t there…I don’t want Max to see that and I refuse to leave him alone. Besides if they are missing I would have no idea of when they disappeared. For all I know it could have been weeks!” David exclaimed before taking a quick glance at Max, who was just staring at his lap, and lowering his voice. “Look, if I’m wrong and this is all just a misunderstanding, great. I’ll pay whatever fine I have to for wasting your time, just…please, help me find out for sure.” 

The police officer–Shawcross, according to his name-tag–stared at David for a long moment before letting out a defeated sigh and nodding. “Alright, we’ll send a unit out to their address to check.”  
David let out a sigh of relief and shook officer Shawcross’ hand. “Thank you.”  
Shawcross nodded and even gave him a small smile before turning to his phone to dispatch the orders. David took that as a dismissal and walked back over to Max, taking the seat next to him. “They’re going to get to the bottom of this, Max. It’ll be aright.”  
Max just scoffed at him and pulled up his hood. David stared at him in concern, debating whether or not he should try to comfort him before deciding to wait until after they knew for sure what was going on. David made himself comfortable and prepared to wait.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx 

It was an hour later that they finally knew for sure. David had been texting Jasper with updates when he heard someone above him clear their throat. He looked up to see another police officer and a professionally dressed woman beside him. Both of them were staring at Max and him with sorrow painted on their faces. David’s heart stopped. He already knew the news wasn’t going to be pleasant.

The officer was the first to speak, his tone quiet and comforting. “My name is officer Gibson and this is Ms. Dunkelman. We…have some bad news.”  
Max sat up straight in his chair, looking the cop in the eye and glaring. “Spit it out already!” He demanded, hands clenched into fists. Officer Gibson didn’t seem to take offence to this, instead just looking at Max with pity before turning to David. “No one was there and the house was abandoned. We asked the neighbors and apparently they moved out two months ago. We’ll see if we can track them down, but…we don’t know where they are.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, David trying desperately to figure out what to say to Max as the child just sat there, still as a board. David opened his mouth to try to comfort him when Max burst into movement, jumping out of his seat and pacing. “I knew it! I fucking knew it! I told you!” He snarled, whirling around to face David, his eyes wild as he jabbed a finger at the older male. “I told you! Camp is where your parents send you when they don’t…” David watched in horror as Max’s shoulders shook from him forcing back tears. “When they don’t want to deal with you anymore.”  
David couldn’t bear to hear anymore so he rushed out of his seat and wrapped his arms around Max, pulling him into a tight hug as if he would be able to fix everything that was wrong if he could just keep holding him.  
Max fought him, kicking and screaming to get away, fighting the comfort his counselor was trying to give him before slowly giving in and burying his face against David’s chest and sobbing.

The woman who came in with officer Gibson waited for Max to settle down before speaking up. “I’m truly sorry for what you must be going through. My name is Ms. Dunkelman and I’ll be Max’s social worker. It’ll be my job to make sure Max is taken care of.” She explained in a gentle voice. David felt Max shift in his hold as the boy lifted his head to glare at the blond haired woman. “If you two follow me, we can figure out where Max will be staying.”  
David reluctantly let go of Max, who quickly side-stepped away from him and glared at the floor again. “I don’t have any relatives in this country so just go ahead and shove me into fucking foster care.” He spat out, sounding both bitter and resigned at the same time. David never wanted to hear that tone again. It sounded like Max was giving up and David couldn’t let that happen. He knew what he wanted to do, but he couldn’t make the decision on his own. He needed to call Jasper first.

David cleared his throat before addressing Ms. Dunkelman. “Can I have a minute, I need to make a phone call first.” David hated the idea of leaving Max alone even for a moment, but it had to be done. Ms. Dunkelman stared at him for a moment, looking at him as if she had already figured out what he was planning to do, before giving him a small smile. “Go ahead, we’ll be right down the hall, first door on the left.” David nodded, giving Max a gentle pat on his left shoulder as Ms. Dunkelman led him away. “I’ll be right there, Max.” He promised. Max didn’t seem to believe him, simply shoving his hands in his hoodie’s pockets and scowling at him. “Whatever.”

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx 

David waited until they were out of sight before letting out a sigh and pulling out his phone. It only took two rings before David could hear his boyfriend’s worried voice on the line.  
_“What’s going on, Davey? Did they find his parents?”_

David felt a wave of warmth go through him, just at hearing Jasper’s concern.

“No, they didn’t. Max’s parents just…they abandoned him Jasp. The house was completely empty. I can’t believe…and the worst part? Max wasn’t even surprised! Upset, but not…Who does that to their own child?” David demanded, tears welling up in his eyes now that Max wasn’t around to see him. 

_“I don’t know baby. That’s awful, I don’t even know what to say. What’s going to happen to Max, do you know where he’s gonna go now?”_

David chewed on his bottom lip as he tried to phrase what he wanted to ask.  
“He doesn’t have any family to take him in so his social worker is going to put him in foster care. Jasper, I know that this wasn’t how we imagined it, but…”

_“You want to take him in, don’t you?”_  
Jasper guessed quietly, David unable to make out by his tone if he was against the idea or not.

“Yes. God, yes. I don’t want to leave him alone, Jasper. He’s a great kid, but he can be a handful and I know that it might be too much for some families. I know him, I’ve looked after him every summer for the last two years…I care about him, Jasp. I want to give him a home. One with us.”

There was silence for a moment after David was done pleading. It was up to Jasper, he was just as much a part of this as David was. He needed to agree to this too or it would never work. David gripped the phone tightly in his hand as he waited for Jasper’s answer.

_“Bring him home, David. I’ll get his room ready so he can relax when he gets here. The sheets have been washed recently, right? Oh, and I’ll figure out something for dinner too! Does he like pizza? Wait, who doesn’t like pizza? Maybe I’ll get garlic knots too…”_  
David’s heart melted as he heard his boyfriend ramble on about getting their home ready for Max. 

“I love you so much. We’ll be home as soon as we can, I’ll text you when we get in the car.” David promised, wiping the tears away from his face as he wrapped up the conversation.

“I love you too, hurry home. Bye Davey.”  
David echoed his goodbyes before hanging up the phone and heading towards the room Max was in. 

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx 

Once there, David took a moment to compose himself before knocking twice and letting himself in. Max turned to look at him from where he was sitting and glared. Max looked awful, his hair a knotted mess, his eyes red and swollen, and his cheeks stained with tears. David wanted nothing more than to just wrap him in his arms and take him far, far away from this place, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Not quite yet.  
Ms. Dunkelman looked up at him and stared at him knowingly. “Welcome back, did your phone call go well?” She asked politely, Max slumping down in his chair and looking away. David nodded and stepped closer to Max, gently putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling when the child glanced up at him. David turned his attention back to Ms. Dunkelman and took a deep breath.

“I want to foster Max.” 

Max’s head shot up in surprise, the younger male staring up at David like he had never seen him before. Ms. Dunkelman however, didn’t seem surprised in the least. “You do?” She asked politely, though she had turned her attention to Max, wanting to see how the child reacted to the offer.

David didn’t seem to notice and kept talking. “Yes, I’ve already filled out the paperwork needed to become a foster parent and taken all the required classes. My partner and I were already planning on fostering a child, we were just waiting until after the summer was over.” He explained quickly, as if getting the words out faster would make Ms. Dunkelman less likely to argue. He didn’t know what he would do if the social worker denied him. He knew there were other homes that Max could go to, but he wanted him where he knew without a doubt Max would be safe.

“Max has known me for two years now and even if we don’t always see eye to eye he knows I wouldn’t hurt him.” Or at least, David hoped Max knew that. “I’m a familiar face. A lot of things are going to be different now, but I’m someone he knows. Someone he can trust–” 

David was cut off by Max standing up and glaring at him. David could tell he was trying to look intimidating, but he just looked rattled.  
“Quit talking like I’m not here! Can’t you see how _stupid_ this is?! _You’re_ going to take me in?! Why, because I’m one of your dumb campers?! Well, the summer’s over David so just go home! I’m not your responsibility anymore! So just leave like everyone else and find some bright-eyed, happy-go-lucky brat to foster instead!” Max shouted venomously, his whole body shaking. 

David completely forgot Ms. Dunkelman was even in the room, his full attention on the child in front of him. “I don’t want a different child. I want you. Not just because you’re one of my campers, but because I care about you. I know you, Max. And you deserve a good home. One that I have the ability to give you. You’re a good kid, Max. Even if you don’t believe it.”

Max shook his head, blinking rapidly as he tried to hold back tears. “What about your partner? What’s he gonna say when you show up with some random kid, huh?”  
David gave Max a soft smile, realizing that Max was simply trying to stop what he felt was David making a huge mistake. “He already knows. That was what the phone call I had to make was about. He’s waiting at home for us right now. He has your room made up and everything.”

David watched as Max seemed to argue with himself before finally the ten year old let out a sigh and nodded. “Fine, I’ll stay with you. Whatever, it’s your funeral.”  
David grinned and pulled Max into another hug, the younger halfheartedly shoving him away.

Ms. Dunkelman cleared her throat to get their attention and smiled warmly once she had it. “I’m fine with Max going to live with you and your partner, however, be aware I will be making visits every few weeks to check up on Max.”

David nodded in understanding and exchanged information with her before finally, _finally_ the two were allowed to leave.

David led Max out of the building and back to his car. Max was much more lively on the trip home, arguing about what music station to listen to and constantly insisting David speed up. It was about a forty-five minutes later when they finally pulled into the driveway home.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx 

Jasper was waiting for them by the door and wrapped David into a hug as soon as he got close and pulled him into a kiss. The two pulled away when they heard retching behind them. David watched in anticipation as Jasper bent down to greet Max, grinning almost as bright as the neon yellow shirt he was wearing.

“You must be Max, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Jasper, welcome home.”  
Max looked Jasper up and down, his expression growing more and more horrified by the second. “Who let you dress yourself? Who let you exist?”  
David bit his lip to keep from laughing as Jasper squinted at Max. He knew that look. That was Jasper’s plotting look. David had the funniest feeling Max’s wardrobe was going to get a lot more colorful soon.

Just as Max was starting to look a little nervous, Jasper let out a laugh and stood up straight. “Come on inside, I ordered pizza.” He announced cheerfully, shooing Max inside and pecking David’s cheek as they passed. David followed the two inside, slowly beginning to relax now that he was home. And as he watched Jasper and Max argue over the best kind of pizza toppings he got the sudden feeling that everything was falling into place. That this was exactly where he should be, what he should be doing.

Shaking his head, David went to join his family. He liked the sound of that. His family.


	4. Finding A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did somebody say backstory?! Have you been wondering how it was Jasper survived? Well here's your answer!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely and talented Forestwater (http://archiveofourown.org/users/Forestwater) for helping me edit this beast.

Jasper was nine years old when he first met David. It was his first year at Camp Campbell and he was nervous. His parents, bless their hearts, were under the assumption that sending him there would result in him ‘making friends.’ Jasper, well aware of how bad he was at acting like a normal human being, highly doubted it. Still, he found himself on the bus full of kids just the same. It wasn’t that he hated being around other kids, he just...couldn’t talk to them. He’d open his mouth and completely blank on what to say. And now he was being forced to spend an entire summer away from the comfort of his living room.

Life was so unfair.

After spending what seemed like a century on the stiflingly hot school bus, it finally pulled into the campsite. Jasper was...not impressed. It didn’t look _bad_ , it just didn’t look like anything worth missing an entire summer’s worth of _Hey Arnold_ episodes for. Regardless, he was here now, so he grabbed his backpack and suitcase and hurried off the bus, where two adults were waiting for them. At least he would be able to get away from the bus driver. Jasper was always taught never to judge a book by its cover, but he was also pretty sure that guy was an ax-murderer so he wasn’t going near him.

The woman tucked her long dark hair behind her ear and smiled warmly down at him. Jasper tried to smile back, but it came out as more of a grimace. She didn’t seem to notice, looking more focused on the man beside her than any of them.

“Hello there, campers! I’m Sue and this is Alex. We’ll be your counselors this year so if you need anything, just come to us!”

The tall, dark-skinned man--Alex, he assumed--stared at Sue with a dopey expression before seeming to snap out of it and facing towards the group.

“If you guys can gather around, we’ll pair you up with your bunk-mate. If you already have someone in mind let us know!”

A few of the campers went up to talk to Alex, but the majority just stayed where they were. While they were busy with that Jasper took the opportunity to study some of the other campers. There was a bored-looking girl with pigtails, who saw him looking at her and nodded at him. Beside her was a tall blond-haired boy talking to an older looking kid with an afro. And off a bit by himself was a ginger kid wearing a brown vest. He seemed to be the most excited person there; bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking around as if trying to take in all the sights at once. Jasper looked away as Alex spoke up.

“Alright then, let’s see here...Okay! Here’s who’ll be sharing tents: Tommy and Greg, Julia and Marie, and David and Jasper! I think that’s everyone.”

So his roommate's name was David, huh? Jasper glanced over to where Alex pointed and saw the red haired kid grinning back at him. Before he could even blink the kid was rushing over to him.

“Hi Jasper, I’m David! I guess we’re gonna be roommates, isn’t that exciting?! I’ve never shared a room before so it’ll be a new adventure! Come on, let’s go check out our tent!” Jasper’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden barrage of words. “Uh...hi?” he greeted, more than a little tongue tied.

David laughed warmly and took him by the hand to drag him inside their tent, Jasper letting him out of pure bewilderment.

Once they got there and David let go, Jasper set his suitcase on the floor and plopped on one of the beds. David put his own luggage on the free bed and copied his movements. It took exactly fifteen seconds for David to start wiggling around and another five for him to abandon his position completely and start pulling things out of his duffel bag.

Not that Jasper was counting or anything. That would be weird.

Jasper watched idly as the other kid pulled out everything from clothing to books to what he thought was a marble collection. It wasn’t until David pulled out a large scrapbook that Jasper got curious.

“Hey, um, what’s that?” he asked, kind of sheepishly. David beamed at him and trotted over to Jasper’s bed.

“It’s my Pokémon card collection!”

David opened the scrapbook to reveal hundreds of cards, all in great condition. One card in particular caught Jasper’s eye and he snatched the book without thinking. “Holy cow, is that a Mewtwo!?” he screeched in disbelief before realizing what he’d done. Face warm, Jasper muttered an apology and went to give the book back to David. He couldn’t even be normal for two seconds, could he?

He looked up when David giggled, the red head refusing to take back the scrapbook. Instead the other boy sat down beside Jasper and moved the book so it was resting on both of their laps.

“It’s okay, you didn’t hurt nothin’! And yeah, I got that Mewtwo like a year and half ago. My mom used to get me a pack every time she’d go to the store.”

Jasper could have sworn that David looked sad for a moment, but he was grinning again before Jasper could begin to process it.

“Is Mewtwo your favorite?” David asked curiously. Jasper decided not to question the strange look from before and instead just shrugged.

“Nah, I like Pidgey, but you know that card is like super rare right? I’d be careful who you show it to.” Realizing he was kind of lecturing David, Jasper let out an awkward laugh and rubbed at his neck. “A-Anyways, what’s your favorite Pokémon?”

David scrunched up his nose in thought before replying in that serious and concrete tone only kids can pull off. “Umbreon.”

Jasper nodded. It was a good choice.

The two of them spent the next half hour looking through David’s collection and by the time they had finished going through the book Jasper no longer felt nervous. There were some things you can't share without ending up liking each other. One was knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll, but another was Pokemon cards.

XxXxXxXxXx

After the two of them put their stuff away they decided to go explore the camp. Jasper stared down in confusion as David took his hand again, but he didn’t really mind it so he didn’t say anything. David led them out of the tent and picked a random direction to walk towards. Jasper pointed out a little path and the two of them made their way down it, David letting out an excited gasp as they pushed through the foliage to reveal a large lake. Jasper let out a yelp of surprise as the ginger-haired boy yanked him over to the dock.

“Awesome! Do you think we’ll get to go swimming in it?” David asked as he let go of Jasper and crouched to dip his hand in the water. Jasper shrugged, making sure to stay back from the ledge.

“I don’t know, maybe...” David looked up and seemed to notice Jasper’s hesitance to go towards the water, but before he could open his mouth to question it, the two hear Sue’s voice calling for them. Jasper let out a sigh of relief as David got up and started to lead them back towards the mess hall.

Sue greeted them with a smile and ushered them inside for dinner. The two grabbed their trays and sat at an empty table. Not five seconds after they sat down the door burst opened and a large man flounced his way into the room, laughing loudly.

“Hello Campbell campers!”

Sue jumped up to greet him while Alex waved from his seat.

“Kids this is Mr. Campbell, the founder of this place.” Alex explained, cheerfully.

Jasper studied him curiously. So this was the guy that ruined his chances of watching _Rugrats_ all summer. He looked like the type of guy who cuts down trees in his free time. Not to get paid, just for fun.

“How is everyone doing? Having fun?” he asked in a booming voice. There was an echoing response of ‘good’, but the attempt was lack-luster. Campbell didn’t seem to notice.

“Great! I want you all to have a great summer! That reminds me, after dinner we’re all going to take a group photo for your parents so don’t run off quite yet.” Jasper rolled his eyes and turned to David.

“That guy’s kind of, uh, excessive. Don’t you think?” David nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on Campbell until the man sat down next to Alex.

“Y-Yeah. Loud too,” he mumbled before tucking into his food. Jasper frowned at his reaction, but was unsure what to say. After a minute Jasper started to eat too.

When everyone was done eating, Campbell gathered everyone outside by the lake and set up a tripod. He got everyone positioned before setting the timer and rushing back. Jasper stood next to David and gave an awkward grin while the redhead waved at the camera. After the flash went off Jasper let out a sigh and rubbed at the white spots in his eyes.

“Alright kids, you’re free to go!” Campbell announced, much to Jasper’s relief. Without thinking about it, Jasper took David’s hand and started to lead him back to the tent. When he realized what he had done, Jasper chanced a peek at David’s face. Either he hadn’t noticed or didn’t care because when he caught Jasper looking he just beamed at him. Jasper flushed, but smiled back.

Maybe the roommate thing wouldn’t be so bad.

XxXxXxXxXx

The next day Jasper was awoken by David jumping on his bed like an animal. He retracted his earlier thought. Having a roommate was horrible. 

“Jasper come on, it’s time for breakfast!” Jasper groaned and covered his head with his blanket. David pouted before yanking the covers from him and pulling at his arm. “C’moooooon!”

“Noooooo, David why? I thought we were friends?” Jasper whined, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. David froze for a moment, giving Jasper enough time to yank his other hand free.

“W-We are?” David asked in a somewhat shy tone. Jasper tilted his head in confusion, his face heating up as he realized what he’d said.

“I mean...I thought--if you wanted to?” he managed to get out, internally cursing himself for acting so lame.

David’s whole face seemed to light up with joy.

“Yeah! Of course!”

The two of them looked at each other with embarrassed, yet pleased, grins before moving to get dressed.

After breakfast Alex led everyone to the activities field, Jasper watching, amused, as David bounced around excitedly. When they got to the field, Jasper noticed a bunch of targets set up and felt his heart sink. Oh no, that meant they were going to have to do something that involved coordination. He was screwed.

“Okay campers, today we’re going to learn archery.” Sue explained cheerfully as Alex handed everyone a bow.

Right, because you can learn archery in a day. That made sense.

Jasper sighed, but dutifully took his bow when David gave him a confused look. At least David wouldn’t make fun of him when he missed. Probably. Hopefully.

Jasper fiddled with his bow glancing every once in awhile at David, who was listening intently as Alex explained the proper form.

After about five minutes of explanations they were finally able to get it over with and actually get their arrows. Jasper took a deep breath, lined up the shot, pulled back...and missed by a mile. Yeah, that’s about what he thought would happen.

“Jasper that looked so cool!” David cheered, running up beside him. Jasper stared at him in confusion.

“But I missed,” he felt the need to point out.

David shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“So? When you were aiming and stuff it looked really awesome. ‘Sides, you can get it next time.”

Jasper blinked and looked down at the bow in his hands. Huh, he’d never thought about it that way.

“...I guess it did feel kind of rad when I was aiming.” he admitted quietly causing David’s grin to grow wider. Deciding the moment was over, Jasper tugged David forward and took a step back.

“Your turn, Davey.”

David got an intent look on his face and nodded before shifting position and taking aim. Jasper watched with bated breath as David let go of the arrow to have it sail forward and hit the target. It wasn’t in the center, but the fact that it was stuck in the wood at all caused Jasper to pump his fist in the air in celebration before jumping forward to wrap David in a hug.

“That was radical dude!” he cheered, barely registering how David stiffened.

“I did it?” David asked, staring at the target for a moment before bursting into giggles and hugging Jasper back. “I did it!”

A large shadow appeared over them and the two broke apart to look up to see a grinning Cameron Campbell staring down at them. With a booming laugh, Mr. Campbell reached down to ruffle David’s hair; David staring up at him with wide eyes.

“Congratulations sport! That’s some aim you got there, keep up the good work!” Jasper watched as David seemed to light up from the praise, the red-head clutching his bow to his chest tightly.

“T-thank you Sir, I will!” David promised, beaming.

Mr. Campbell gave David a hearty pat on the back before walking back over to Sue and Alex. David watched him go with a strange expression before shaking his head and turning back to Jasper.

“Let’s keep trying okay?”

Jasper nodded, glancing back at Campbell before picking up another arrow and taking aim again. That time he skimmed just past the target. He was getting better, if only slightly. He glanced back at David who gave him a thumbs up and a grin.

Maybe archery wasn’t so bad.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

The rest of the week passed by similarly: wake up, have breakfast, and then go to the activities field for whatever new thing the counselors thought up. It was on Friday that Jasper met his mortal enemy, Tommy Miller. Tommy Miller was a tall, blond-haired boy who had already made a name for himself as the camp bully. He stole lunches, pushed kids and insulted everyone he came across. He was a walking nightmare. Somehow Jasper--and by extension, David--had managed to stay out of his line of sight so far.

Until that afternoon.

The two had been walking back to the mess hall for lunch when Tommy Miller stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Jasper froze, making David stumble as he tried to keep going.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? A couple of babies,” Tommy started tauntingly. “Aw and look, they’re holding hands! What a bunch of sissies.”

Jasper felt David tighten the grip he had on his hand and squeezed back reassuringly. This wasn’t going to end well, but he wasn’t going to let go. Not to a jerk like that.

“Hey Miller, you got a problem?!” The four boys looked over to the left only to see a short, purple-haired girl stomping over to them menacingly. She stopped when she was directly in front of them and glared venomously at Tommy with her hands on her hips.

“Leave them alone!” She snarled, much to Tommy’s amusement.

“Or what? What are you gonna do about it, princess?” he cooed mockingly.

The girl reached forward to grab his shirt when they heard laughter coming from behind them. Noticing that it was Sue and Alex, Tommy and the girl glanced at each other and backed away.

“We’ll finish this later, Winters,” he muttered before storming away. She let out a scoff and flipped off his retreating figure. The girl looked back at them and sighed, looking far less annoyed now.

“You two okay?” she asked in a brisk tone. They nodded, too dumbfounded to speak. “Good. Don’t let him get to you, he ain’t nothin’ but a big bully...and there's nothin’ wrong with holdin’ hands.”

With that piece of wisdom, she took off towards the mess hall.

Jasper turned to look at David in bewilderment.

“...What the heck just happened?”

David shrugged back, looking as hopelessly lost as Jasper felt.

“I don’t know, but I think we should thank her.”

Jasper thought about it and nodded.

“Okay, but how?”

XxXxXxXxXx 

“This is stupid,” Jasper felt the need to point out. David waved him off before once again taking his hand and tugging him towards the table where the girl was sitting.

“It’s not stupid, we’re going to thank her for helping us and then give her our pudding.” Jasper sighed.

“And what if she thinks we’re messing with her? She’s not a dog, you can’t just give her a treat or whatever.” David laughed and nudged him.

“You’re overthinking this,” David reassured him just before they reached her table. The girl looked up from her sandwich and tilted her head at them.

“Uh, can I help you?” she asked in a cautious tone. David beamed at her, taking his pudding cup off his tray and placing it in front of her.

“I’m David and this is Jasper. We wanted to thank you for standing up for us. Right Jasper?” David gestured for him to set down his pudding too. Face red, Jasper nodded and sheepishly put his pudding next to David’s.

The girl blinked, looked down at the pudding, looked up at them and then snorted.

You guys are weird.” She pointed out, reaching forward to snatch one of her new deserts before waving her hand at them.  
“I’m Julia...You can sit down if you want.”

David grinned and took a seat, Jasper following his lead.

Huh, guess it wasn’t as stupid as he thought.

XxXxXxXx

Jasper wasn’t entirely sure how it happened, but somehow he had managed to get two friends without actually trying. Apparently all it took to befriend Julia was a few pudding cups because after that day she started joining them for activities. She said that they were more entertaining than her tent-mate. Every once in awhile Tommy would show up and try to mess with them, but Julia put a stop to it pretty quickly. Apparently they went to the same school and Tommy was just as much of a bully there as he was here.

Things had kind of fallen into a nice routine for that first month or so. So of course something had to change.

Jasper had just stepped out of the bathroom when he came face to face with Tommy Miller. The blond haired boy and his little group had cornered him and he had no way of moving around them.

In other words, he was screwed.

“Uh, can I help you?” Jasper asked, because he was an idiot.

Tommy sneered at him and took a step forward.  
“Where’s your little friends? They get tired of hanging around a little baby?” Jasper flinched before glaring up at the blond.

“I’m not a baby!” he snarled, frustrated with being called that over and over by him.

“Then why do you always have that girl fighting your battles for you? It’s because you’re nothing more than a little baby chicken.”

“Shut up, no I’m not!”

“Prove it,” Tommy jeered, grinning viciously. “Go to Spooky Island tonight and bring us back a souvenir.”

Jasper froze, his eyes widening.

“S-Spooky Island?” he asked weakly. Tommy’s smile widened.

“Yeah...unless you’re too scared.”

That was quite possibly the dumbest idea Jasper had ever heard. Why on earth would he want to go to Spooky Island? He would have to steal a boat to get there, it was most likely haunted, and there was absolutely nothing to gain from going. The smart thing to do would be to tell him off and try to find Julia pronto.

“...I’ll do it.”

Why didn’t he ever follow his own advice?

Tommy laughed smugly and gestured for his friend to move out of the way so Jasper could leave. As Jasper passed he caught him by the shoulder.

“We’ll be waiting here tomorrow morning at nine. Don’t be late and don’t forget the souvenir.” Jasper nodded and hurried off to find his friends. He found David and Julia at their usual table, David waving as he got close while Julia nodded at him.

“What took you so long, did you fall in?” Julia asked teasingly. Jasper opened his mouth to tell them what happened, but stopped himself. If they knew they would just try and talk him out of it.

“...Nah, just had to go I guess.”

XxXxXxXxXx

Jasper waited in bed that night for David to fall asleep. It gave him plenty of time to rethink his idea of going alone, but whenever he’d go to tell David he’d lose the nerve. It was a little after eleven when Jasper finally heard light snores coming from his tent-mate. Finally.

As quiet as he could be, Jasper pushed back his covers and silently got out of bed. He had thought ahead and kept his clothes on, making sure to keep everything up to his neck covered so David wouldn’t be suspicious. Jasper quickly pulled his shoes on and tip-toed over to his dresser. He ever so slowly pulled open the top drawer and pulled out a flashlight, taking routine glances back at David to make sure he was still asleep. Jasper closed the drawer carefully and let out a sigh of relief. So far so good, now he just needed to get out of the room without waking David. Keeping his eye on the sleeping figure, Jasper took one step...and tripped over something causing himself to fall and drop the flashlight.

David jumped up at the loud noise and flipped on the light, relaxing when he saw that it was just Jasper. He rubbed at his eyes and yawned before seeming to realize that Jasper was fully clothed.

“What the? Jasper what’s going on? What are you doing?” Jasper took the opportunity, now that the light was on, to see what the hell had tripped him. It was the freaking Pokemon cards. Of course, bunch of traitors.

“Um,” Jasper started, eloquently. “Nothing?”

“What are you doing out of bed?” David asked, confused.

“...Sleepwalking?” Jasper tried.

“In your clothes?” he asked skeptically. Jasper decided it was probably in his best interest to get up off the floor so he stood up and brushed the non-existent dirt off his shirt.

“Of course, that’s how everyone sleepwalks, didn’t you know? First thing you do is get dressed.” 

David huffed at him and crossed his arms.

“Jasper, tell me the truth: what were you trying to do?”

In his defense, it took Jasper at least fifteen seconds before he broke.

“I was going to go to Spooky Island to prove to Tommy Miller I’m not a chicken,” he blurted out before covering his mouth with his hands.

“...Jasper?” David said in a calm tone of voice after taking a moment to soak in the information Jasper had presented him with.

“Yeah?”

“That was a really dumb idea.” Jasper groaned and flopped on David’s bed.

“I know... but I’m so sick of him picking on us! I thought if I went I could prove to him I’m not a baby.”

“But you’re not a baby! You’re, like, the coolest person I know! Besides who cares what Tommy Miller thinks anyway?” Jasper opened his mouth to argue, but paused.

“You’re right...but what am I gonna do now? I promised him I’d go and bring him back something from the island.” David thought about it and shrugged.

“I don’t know, but we’ll talk to Julia early in the morning. I’m sure she can think of something. Now come get in bed.” David declared as he pushed back his covers so Jasper could climb in. Jasper stared at him in confusion.

“Why do I have to sleep in your bed?”

“So I know you won’t try and run off again.” Jasper looked back at his own bed before sighing and climbing in next to David.

“I wasn’t going to,” he muttered in a sulky tone. He felt David pat his arm and laugh. Jasper huffed, but fell asleep with a smile. He should have known David would have his back.

XxXxXxXxXx

David shook Jasper awake just after dawn, fully dressed, and the two of them quietly snuck over to Julia’s tent. It took a few minutes to get her to wake up, but before long the nine year old greeted them, her messy hair halfheartedly put in pigtails.

“What was so freakin’ important you had to wake me up at this ungodly hour?” she asked, her question punctuated by a large yawn. Jasper gave her a sheepish smile.

“I kind of told Tommy Miller I’d go to Spooky Island and bring him back something, but David found out and wouldn’t let me so now I need to figure out how to fool him into thinking I did go, but I don’t know how so...help.” He blurted out quickly. Julia nodded at his words before turning to David.

“First off, way to go for stopping him.” Julia then turned back to Jasper and sighed. “Second of all you’re an idiot...but you’re my idiot so I’m gonna help you. Wait here.” Julia marched back into her tent and came back with a light blue t-shirt, a pair of scissors, and a bottle of water.

“Hold this,” she ordered, shoving the bottle at David who fumbled for a second before grabbing it. The two boys watched in fascination as Julia cut the bottom seam of the shirt before handing the scissors to Jasper and ripping at the shirt until she had a long shred of fabric. She then took the water bottle back from David and poured it into the dirt until the ground was all muddy. Grinning, she took her strip of fabric and rubbed it into the mud before handing it to Jasper and taking back her scissors.

“There you have a souvenir...oh, wait!” Julia quickly ran back into her tent to put everything away before coming back and scooping some of the mud in her hands and smearing it all over Jasper’s shirt.

“Hey!” He whined, jerking back in annoyance. Julia rolled her eyes and shushed him.

“You were supposed to have been runnin’ around all night, you gotta look dirty or it’ll be suspicious.” She explained as she messed up his hair and smeared dirt on his face. After a few minutes, Julia took a step back to admire her handy work and nodded to herself.

“Alright, that’s the best I can do. Go on and walk over to the meeting point while I wash my hands and get dressed.” With that, Julia turned and walked back into her tent before immediately turning back and pulling David away from Jasper.

“You stay with me.”

“What, why?” David asked with a pout, glancing over at Jasper, who shrugged.

“Because, you can’t lie to save your life.” Julia explained, exasperated.

“That’s not true!” Julia gave David a pointed look. “...It’s sort of true.” Julia raised an eyebrow. “It’s true.”

Jasper wasn’t looking forward to going alone, but conceded Julia’s point. He gave David a sad smile and a shrug before rushing off to the meeting point.

XxXxXxXxXx

Jasper waited near the bathroom for seven minutes before he finally saw Tommy Miller stroll up with a cocky grin. Jasper watched as the taller blond took in his appearance and froze. Okay, that was pretty funny. Jasper gave him a toothy grin and stuck out his hand to present him the muddy rag.

“Your souvenir. I found it by the remains of an old canoe. ”

Tommy stared down at it like it was cursed before slowly reaching out to grab it.

“Pfft, w-whatever, s’not like it was a big deal anyway. Any baby can go to the island.” For once the insult didn’t bother Jasper. He just rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

“Hey, where are you going?!” Tommy yelled, annoyed that Jasper wasn’t reacting. Jasper looked back and shrugged.

“I’m gonna go clean up and get breakfast. You do what you want Tommy, I don’t really care.” And with that, Jasper walked off to find his friends.

He met up with them near the mess hall, David chewing his lip while Julia tapped her foot. The two lit up when he came into view, David rushing over to greet him.

“How did it go? Did he buy it? What happened?!” Jasper let out a laugh and wrapped his arm around David’s shoulder.

“It was fine, nothing to worry about.” David let out a sigh of relief while Julia slapped him on the back.

“Way to go, Spooks!” she cheered, Jasper turning to her in confusion.

“Spooks?”

Julia grinned and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s your new nickname. Spooky Island--Spooks. It seemed fitting.” Jasper just kind of stood there in shock. He never had a nickname before. It was nice.

“Thanks for having my back, guys.”

Julia waved him off, grinning.

“Don’t mention it.”

David sniffed and pulled the two into a hug, his eyes watering.

“We’re your friends Jasper, we’ll always have your back.” David promised, Julia nodding in agreement. Jasper grinned and squeezed them tighter.

“Same here.”

Julia decided that the hug had gone on long enough and squirmed away.

“Alright, enough of this mushy stuff. I’m hungry let’s go eat.” David lit up.

“Yeah, I think we’re doing art camp today too!” He exclaimed cheerfully. Jasper quietly let the two of them lead him into into the mess hall, smiling as he listened to his friends talk. Maybe his parents were right. Maybe going to camp was a good idea…

Not that he’d ever tell them.


End file.
